dates of rape than women that did not have any prior experiences of sexual abuse. Within more resent years a prospective study had documented that the high likelihood of sexual assault among college students demonstrated the increased vulnerability of women with a history of sexual abuse. Those college students who reported child or adolescent sexual abuse were more likely to be sexually victimized than those who did not have the same experiences. This finding is supported by the fact that the students had a clearly documented history of abuse from childhood. (115)It is believed that there can be many negative childhood experiences that may lead to sexual assault in later adulthood. Studies have also shown that stress in early life leads to more stressful experiences later in life. Specific findings suggested that both dissociation and depression may act as mediators between early maltreatment and date rape. It was also hypothesized " ...that women college students who have experienced date rape will report more negative childhood experiences and will be more dissociative as well as more depressed." These studies went on to report "that women college students who had experienced date rape reported higher levels of dissociation, depression, and various other trauma symptoms than others who had not been raped (Childhood 115)." It is an alarming commentary on our times and should be a national call for action. Date rape, child abuse, and a lack of respect for human dignity are symptoms of a sick society. If we as a nation and as a society do not deal with these issues on a "no tolerance" basis, then we are doomed. We can expect more dissociation and al...
